The Spinal Tap Presidency

Large and enthusiastic crowds greet Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wherever they go. You can get a better sense of this if you check out local media sources rather than the constantly-spun national news. To take just one example, The Villages Daily Sun in Florida:

President Obama and Joe Biden? Not so much. On the contrary, it is painfully obvious that they are appearing before smaller and less enthusiastic crowds than in 2008. So I was bemused when the Obama campaign explained that the president is drawing small crowds on purpose. Big crowds are just too much of a hassle, don’t you know, and small groups are so much more intimate!

Before I had time to snicker at this claim, the genius of Mark Steyn beat me to it:

Jonah, I liked that scene better the first time round:

ROB REINER: The last time Spinal Tap toured America, they were, uh, booked into 10,000 seat arenas, and 15,000 seat venues, and it seems that now, on their current tour they’re being booked into 1,200 seat arenas, 1,500 seat arenas, and uh I was just wondering, does this mean uh…the popularity of the group is waning?

BAND MANAGER DAVID AXELROD: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no…no, no, not at all. We have plenty of time for big stadium gigs. But our focus right now is on intentionally limiting crowds by restricting tickets – to allow the band to better connect with fans.

ROB REINER [NODDING]: Yeah.

Here is the original exchange from This Is Spinal Tap:

Marty: The last time Tap toured America, they where, uh, booked into
10,000 seat arenas, and 15,000 seat venues, and it seems that now,
on their current tour they’re being booked into 1,200 seat
arenas, 1,500 seat arenas, and uh I was just wondering,
does this mean uh…the popularity of the group is waning?

Ian: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no…no, no, not at all. I, I, I just think
that the.. uh.. their appeal is becoming more selective.

Marty: Yeah.

Barack Obama as a has-been rock band awash in unintentional humor? It’s an apt image.

UPDATE: This one made me laugh too, on Twitter. He had joy, he had fun, he had seasons in the sun!